Void Eclipse Code
by nichenoche
Summary: Identity: n. The collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing is definitively recognizable or known; the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity; individuality. Rated M for explicit language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fan fiction... So please go easy on the critics. It is rated M for future violence as I tend to describe things a bit too vividly.

Disclaimer: I do not own Darker than Black nor any of its canon characters.

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When you live in a lie created by yourself and when you live in a life created by yourself, all excitement seems to disappear. When you lose an identity only to gain another and when you die knowing that you'll live again, life's goal seems to disappear. That is preciously what my ability is. To simply redraw the life and to rename into existence. This power of mine is a mistake, a curse given to me by that thing called the Hell's Gate.

I do not exist and yet I do. I question this existence. I question my own identity. I feel as if I live through a lie as I know that my own history can be rewritten several times over. I know that someone may have the same ability as me and had perhaps written out this chaotic act. Nothing is what it really is, nothing is never what it seems. It's a foolish man's words to say trust what you may trust. Nothing can be trusted as this is just a mere illusion that none can wake from.

My name is Xeno, however I am more known as the name; Ha-Yuu. Or should I say that I was known as the name of Ha-Yuu? The name has long been erased and I have only recently started using the name Xeno after all. My messier code is XS-005. I am a female contractor with the ability to rename things. I am a contractor unique in the fact in which my identity is composed of mostly human and just enough contractor to use the ability to the fullest. I am unique in how my identity had already been erased once or perhaps twice. I am a hacker and a cosplayer. I am a high school student in her last year who is an orphan.

Or so my identity tells me. Unlike others, I am limited in reading my own identity. Although I may write whatever into it, I cannot read it all. This applies to others as well. I need their permission to read their names and I need permission to convert it. It's not so much as manners or even price of my ability, it's the restriction placed on my ability. A restriction I am thankful for.

I am Xeno and I am a contractor with a human side. No, I am a human cursed with an ability. An ability that should not have been given to me. An ability that I may not use. An ability that is too dangerous. An ability that is a weapon greater than all those that may kill millions.

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The day was horridly hot. It was one of those temperature that was mixed with the right amount of moisture to think that one was trapped within a rice cooker or something like such. It was this very day in which a new resident for Umitsuki apartment had arrived. The room 202 had been empty for a while as none wanted a room where a break-in occurred in which resulted in the death of the owner. It was just a superstition, however it was still a rather frightening thing to live in a room where a victim of murder had lived just months ago. This alone was probably enough for everyone to conclude that the newcomer would be a foreigner or perhaps someone who have not lived close to the area when the incident occurred.

A small moving truck was in the drive way and people could not help but to inquire about it. There were only few boxes, however they were fairly large and seemingly heavy. Other than the boxes, there was a small desk and three drawers. A tall mirror occupied the space in the truck as well. People had to wonder who was to move in as the objects seemed so normal that they couldn't help but to imagine how plain the newcomer may be.

So when the newcomer stepped off from the truck with a rather lively step, they couldn't help but to wonder how the newcomer possessed such normal things. The newcomer was a girl, or so they assumed by the long flowing hair, who seemed to be foreign and yet with blood of Asian. Her eyes were rather sharp and colored with gray on one while the other was yellow. She seemed pretty enough to be a girl and yet somehow handsome enough to be a boy. She was fairly tall, about 170cm in height, and seemed to be skinny. The most defining and strange feature of this newcomer was her hair. It was at least 75cm in length with the last 10cm being decorated in silver squares. This caused the ends of her black hair to seem like a chess board.

The girl didn't seem to be bothered by the heat as she entered the landlady's residence and came back out with a key. With a struggle, she had thin arms, the girl picked up a box with a tremble in her movement. Whoever she came with, she was definitely not old enough to drive yet, seemed to have been hired only for driving and had fallen asleep in the seat. The girl took the box up three steps before setting it down and massaging her shoulders with a sigh. The look on her face was obvious, the work of moving in would take a long time and be tedious at the same time.

The girl adjusted her cap, she wore a white baseball cap with black lining at the edges, before taking another step with the box. Normally sweat would have drenched the white t-shirt and flown down the khaki shorts and stink the black and red socks along with the black and white running shoes. Somehow for this girl, the fact that it didn't seemed as normal as everyday thing. It was a rather curious normal in which normal wasn't really normal for her. It was almost as if she had a special rule in which only she followed and no one else knew.

"Hello, you must be the new neighbor." The girl looked up to see a tall Asian man. She was certain that he was Chinese, the accent was slight but she could still tell it apart. The man had darkest blue eyes she had ever seen along with such dark shaded hair that seemed a darkest of all blues. A majestic color with such rich and yet light skin tone to match dazzled her slightly.

"I seem to be so!" The girl replied with natural enthusiasm. Her voice was almost a song and had a rather infecting quality of cheerfulness. The girl observed the Chinese man. The man seemed to be skinny, however too fit to be lacking any strength. The man was dressed in white button up shirt with jeans and he also wore a rather friendly face.

"My name is Li Shengshun, it's a pleasure to meet you." The friendly man spoke in a voice with hint of innocence that drew the listener in. She found the Chinese man to be handsome and attractive.

"My name is Jin Xeno. I dislike my family name, so please call me Xeno." She smiled a bright smile. Something about this attractive Chinese man nagged her suspicion. Xeno promptly ignored it for now. "And the pleasure is all mine," She paused for a second, now then, what was the suffix again? "Will it be okay if I refer to you as Li-san?" Xeno asked. Japanese was too polite in the language.

"Certainly Xeno-san." The Chinese man replied in that friendliness once more. Xeno was tempted to look beneath his name, to discover who he truly was. She suppressed such distasteful urge to do such a horrible thing.

"No, just Xeno will be fine." She added on without giving the Chinese man a chance to comment. "I am more comfortable being called without a suffix tagged behind my name." Xeno smiled, daring the Chinese man, she really should start referring him by his given name, to go against her wish.

"Even so..." Li Shengshun protested, however Xeno shot him another smile daring him to go against her wish. "Ah, alright... Xeno." He smiled awkwardly and pronounced her name awkwardly. Xeno flashed him a brilliant smile before making herself busy with the box. Once more, she merely managed to carry it a couple more steps until she had to set it down again. "Would you like some help?" Li asked.

"Ah, if it won't bother you." Xeno smiled once more. She was dazzling, almost as if she wasn't from this world. There was something about her that made the masked assassin flinch and regret having offered her his help. This strange girl just seemed too dazzling, almost to the point where it seemed so natural that it was easily overlooked. Overlooked only if one wasn't paying attention and was receiving the full blast of it. With an inner sigh, he picked up the box with an ease. The shifting movement within it told him that it was full of books.

The summer day passed in such pattern. Li would haul the boxes and furniture in with help from the other residents of the Umitsuki apartment and Xeno would arrange them and unpack them in her new apartment room. It was a tedious job, however the hint of enjoyment on such activity was obvious as laughter erupted now and then. By the evening Xeno had completely moved in to the room 202 and still had enough energy to celebrate.

To the others, Xeno was just a very energetic and cheerful girl who went against the world by herself. To Li, she was something more. Someone who may be of danger or perhaps an ally. He couldn't tell. In several occasions he wondered if he was overreacting, however he was soon back onto his suspicion the moment Xeno spoke a word or two. Somehow this bright and energetic girl could hide in the background as naturally as a regular silent individual. Li would have completely ignored her existence if he too were of a normal human being.

Xeno didn't really have time for such celebrations. She had to make her payment and she'd have preferred to have all her wits available when she did such. Now and then she would catch the sight of Li-san and wonder who he truly was. She wouldn't have been surprised if Li-san was a normal human being, however she felt attracted to his name for some strangely instinctive reason. Even so, she'd be surprised if Li-san was more than normal. Xeno dismissed it as a normal feeling towards an attractive individual.

When she locked the door behind her and felt the sturdiness of it, she finally relaxed enough to allow a sigh. She was a hyperactive person, however that didn't mean that she had a never ending supply of energy. She could, however choose not to. It would be too chaotic to have such trait. Xeno kicked her shoes off and left it stranded on the doorway before entering the main area.

The room was clean and in order. It was a normal room with a futon to the side and three drawers surrounding the small desk. Stacks of books, they had teased her as little genius, surrounded the desk as well. The closet was stuffed half full of casual and semi-casual. The rest was stuffed with costumes from various manga and anime. However to Xeno, the most important thing was the slick laptop hidden underneath the futon.

The laptop was of her own creation. It had slick black casing with silver emblem of a triangle with simple wings on each point. The laptop was a pound and a half lighter compared to average laptops. The speed was three times faster than the fastest one that could be purchased with money and the memory was just simply incredibly large in amount. The laptop could be charged via solar panels that slid from its side or by electricity. It had several ports in which the laptop could also be easily charged via usb cable if needed to be.

The programs installed on the computer were as black as the cover of the laptop. It had every tool available for hacking and it also held several programs that she had devised herself. The security system on the laptop was a custom and it held a certain device to allow it to leech the wireless from any source. Obviously, it was made to be untraceable. She just adored those toys that the military loved to produce. She enjoyed stealing and smuggling them more, but that's another story.

She flicked the light switch on and plugged the laptop into the power port before turning it on. She felt the light vibration from the silent fans and felt the warm keyboard by the tips of her fingers as she smiled in a slight sadistic way. It was always a thrill to hack. It was a game of cat and mouse. A like of difficult puzzle that seemed to have been designed to test the very being of the player.

The laptop seemed to have been loading the typical Windows software as it loaded and its screen filled with the blue-color themed log-in screen. Xeno felt her fingers type the password in the prompt box without the need for her to search for it in her brain. It was something like a muscle memory that soothed her. A black screen with white colored font came up and Xeno had to smile in pleasure once more before she started typing. She had a price to pay and the weight on her heart urged her on.

Hei flinched lightly at the loud noise beneath him. How these people could be so loud, he could not understand. He didn't need to understand. He was here for his job and that was to be the end of it all. He was the black grim reaper and the one who was feared. He was a professional and thus he was not affected by things outside of his mission.

So then, why was this girl, Xeno, affecting him so much? He clinched his teeth together as he stared into his empty eyes in the bathroom mirror. The dripping water from his hair made his eyes seem even more empty and he felt the need to stare deeper into it to discover the answer. Why was she affecting him so much? Her presence alone had made him flinch and her presence alone had put him on guard.

'Remember,' Hei reminded himself in thought. "Li Shengshun has nothing to do with the darker side of the world." He felt slightly unconvinced by it, however simply passed it as a thought to be pondered on later. Right now, he just couldn't get over how edgy Xeno had made him feel. He had felt no presence of blood lust, no presence of any harm, and had yet to see Xeno being physically threatening in any way possible. She could have been a contractor, however he doubted it. A contractor could not possibly have been so cheerful and so full of emotion. A contractor could not possibly have been so alive.

Hei continued to stare into his eyes. It seemed more of a glare now. It seemed to be full of hidden daggers of anger and he did not flinch at it but buried his gaze deeper into it. The girl seemed normal and although she should have been out of place, she fit in as if it was only natural that she'd do so. At certain points during the day and the evening, she had even managed to make him off guard. What made her so special? 'She isn't.' Hei spoke to himself in his thought. 'That is precisely why she is so special.' After a light pause, he added more to his mental note. 'Precisely why she is of a danger.'

Xeno sighed with contentment as she turned her laptop off. The heaviness on her heart had been lifted and she felt light and happy. It was difficult, however she wasn't caught. At least she wasn't caught to her knowledge. With another contented sigh, she stepped into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. She deserved a long, hot, relaxing shower and that would be precisely what she would do.

Li heard the water running and knew that Xeno would be taking a shower. Hei pondered if he should take this chance to break-in and find a proof of his theories however the 'good and sensible' side of him said no. Xeno haven't done anything to deserve such suspicion. If she does, then that would be when Hei would take care of her, however, not now, not here. If she was someone suspicious, the syndicate would take care of it or notify him. After all, for all he knew, she could be a member of the syndicate to keep an eye on him.

It never went completely dark during the night and many fidgeted in their awakening sleep. During that night, a scent of blood filled the air in a particular street. The murder occurred 19 miles away from the location of the apartment and it was a nightmarish sight. It seemed as if nightmare has leaked into the reality itself.

The scene was like this. There were two mangled bodies total. The bones were in pieces and in splinters. Shattered completely with no hope for recovery. The skin had been torn apart while the muscles were mushy with pressure it once had. The corpses were unrecognizable and would only be recognized after the DNA test. The estimated method of death would cause normal people to throw up.

The death was not caused by a contractor but a human being. The victim, first a man, had his skin torn off one perfect triangle by another. Then when it made a pattern of triangles upon the arms, the killer had slowly ripped the skin from the fingertips to the ends of the fingers. The perfectly skinned fingers held a nightmarish contrast to the palms in which still had skin on it. The victim was still alive by then. That was, until the killer decided that enough fun was enough and finally gutted out the victim while the victim was still alive. The killer had gutted him like a fish or something worse. There were evidence of the internal organs being squeezed with the stomach having strangled with long strips of skin from the man's legs. The heart definitely was squeezed until it could no longer its shape. The depression placed upon it was obvious and made it seem as if it was a can of soda crushed by a hand.

The second one was of a woman's. This one was more gruesome as it seemed to be a pile of flesh and splintered, almost powdered, bones. It almost seemed as if the woman's body had been squeezed through a food processor and had been dumped everywhere. The organs and the muscles were missing and only the bloody pulp of the skin remained. These alone were enough signs that it should have been concluded as the work of a contractor. However the witnesses, there were five in total, told clearly of how they did not see any bluish glow nor the red gleam in the eyes of the murderer.

These people were too stunned to remember much about anything. However their stories matched up with one another and they could remember only how dark it was and how the stench of the blood had been overwhelming. They could remember how the suspect seemed to have worn all black as they could not see the suspect clearly in the dark night. They remembered how they searched for their cell phones and how they called the police. They remembered the numbing feeling, however couldn't remember the suspect's figure, face, anything about him or her except for how the suspect seemed to have worn all black clothing.

It was possible that it was the job of a contractor and it would be the most logical answer as the contractor could have done such from the distance. That night, no unusual star reported activity and the stars that did go active during the night were under the watch of an authority during the time. It was a curious murder, one in which people could not help but to marvel in disgust at how cruel and twisted the criminal was.

Hei almost chocked on his food as he read the newspaper while eating his breakfast. He had seen much and heard much, but this? Hei's thoughts automatically turned to Xeno. He wouldn't have been surprised if that girl was the criminal. Actually, he thought that she was the criminal. It somehow made sense. The girl was strange in her figure with several outstanding features. Strangely enough, it always slipped through one's mind. If he hadn't continuously reminded himself about it and even saw her face as he slept, he would have forgotten about the girl. It was strange how that girl would be so elusive in his memories.

Xeno flinched as she read the news. The description was rather disturbing as she searched the web for the picture of it. She had to know, had to check, to see if her suspicion was correct. She desperately wished that it was as she found a site upholding the picture of the scene before it was cleared away. When the page loaded, she was thankful that she hadn't eaten any breakfast yet as she felt an extreme wave of nausea. The pictures were disturbing, however she forced herself to look over it. Yes, she was correct. The triangular shapes were evidence enough to confirm her hope into reality. She quickly exited the page and ran into the bathroom.

Li heard loud and hurried steps next doors. Hei couldn't help but to think that the girl was moving all over the place to pack and to move once more in order to escape from the crime scene. Li hurried as he dressed in his usual attire.

The doors of the apartment creaked in unison as both Xeno and Li stepped out at the same time. Li looked at the girl. Xeno seemed extremely pale and as if she'd throw up any second. He could see the green tint on the girl's face and put on a worried expression. Inside, Hei was waiting to rid of her if she was a threat of any kind.

"Xeno-sa..." Li stopped awkwardly as Xeno put her hand up and a slightly playful but threatening expression. It had the same air as the daring smile from the day before. The only differences were that she just looked extremely sick as she was using the expression. " Xeno, are you alright?" He amended after an apologetic smile.

"Slightly, yes." Xeno replied wearily. It wasn't everyday in which someone could remember her name and interaction with her so clearly after twelve hours. "Thank you for asking." Inside, she felt her guard going up against this man. Who was this Chinese man? How could he have possibly noticed her when she had taken care to reduce her presence?

Another awkward silence passed before Li asked Xeno about the news. "Have you heard about the murder?" Hei waited in anticipation in regarding the question. He observed the look for a guilty flinch or anything that would confirm his suspicion that Xeno was indeed the murderer.

"Ah, yes." Xeno nodded wearily. "Actually, it's precisely why I am sick." The images were clear in her head once more and she felt as if she'd throw up.

"How so?" Li asked. Hei was almost certain that she'd answer; 'because I committed the murder' or something similar. It wasn't like him to corner such suspicion on a single person without evidence. However this one... The lacking of presence unnerved him and made him feel as if he should get rid of her before she does become a danger and a threat.

"I got curious and looked up pictures of the crime scene." Xeno leaned over as if she'd throw up. She came close, however there was nothing left in her stomach for her to throw up. Not even stomach acid. She already got rid of that as she was trying to wash her face. She was surprised to feel a light and soothing touch on her back and looked up with the emotion honest on her face.

"Are you okay?" Li asked with genuine, or something that came very close, expression filled with worry for Xeno. She felt a light blush on her skin due to the proximity and couldn't hide it. It wasn't that she liked him or anything like that, it was just that it had been too long since someone had entered such close proximity. "Do you have a fever?" Li asked innocently. Hei felt strange in how he could not make Xeno out at all. Was that surprise an honest one or was it just an act?

"Yea, just a bit sick from the..." She gagged again and Li just rubbed her back silently. Hei noticed that Xeno wore unremarkable clothing. She wore a soft blue colored t-shirt that lacked any markings nor designs. She also wore a pair of jeans and white tennis shoes. These clothing lacked anything to help it to remember and Hei became suspicious once more. Was she trying to go unnoticed? If so, why?

It was another minute until Xeno was well enough to stand straight. She felt her heart beat loudly. It wasn't from love or crush. Nothing like that. It was from a mild panic, a seeping fear that she didn't realize but her instinct did. A light bitter taste was on the tip of her tongue and she was in a haze as she left to her part-time work.

Li could clearly see that the girl was in a haze and obviously wasn't really listening to what he was saying. Thus eventually he gave up and simply left to his part-time work after saying goodbye. Hei felt the suspicion increase.

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I tried to keep Li/Hei in character, but in some cases, I think that I made it a bit of OC...

Sorry.

Also, there will not be romance other than the Canon ones.

-nichenoche


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter was hard to write...

Disclaimer: I do not own Darker than Black nor any of its canon characters.

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Chapter 2

Hei couldn't bear it any longer. He couldn't figure out how the girl managed to stay so... invisible. He had moments in which he couldn't remember the strangely colored eyes nor the strangely patterned hair. He just couldn't figure it out. How did this girl stay so invisible? How? It was driving him crazy. If he had been normal, he wouldn't have noticed this. By now, he knew this girl to be of a danger. To anyone in his line of work, someone like that girl was a danger. He just couldn't stand being so close to her and separated by a thin wall. He felt that if he let this on, he'd be killed.

Xeno was feeling the fear creep into her. The amount increased per day and even more when she exchanged simple greetings with the Chinese man. She felt nervous around the man and felt bitter panic around him. She couldn't stop her heart from pumping the fear through her body and couldn't stop becoming nervous in how much he noticed her. She had written her name so that she wouldn't be noticeable and thus keep out of trouble. She had to pay severe price for that. However this man... He was breaking it apart! How did he notice her? She had kept her presence to the very minimum, so how?

Karma is a strange thing. It cannot be proven by science and yet it seems to exist. It's something made from a person's history and thoughts. It's something that seems to cause irony and dramas in people's lives.

Xeno felt like freaking out. She had arrived to her part-time job and was told that there would be another new part-timer in which she'd have to train. She had been excited about it and couldn't stop thinking about it as she changed her clothing into a standard bar tender's clothing. Now, she felt as if she should shoot herself in the head. Twice. Or maybe three times to make sure that she couldn't be revived nor be squeezed through the ME. In front of her was the familiar Chinese man wearing that awkward smile.

Hei felt his head throb. What was this girl doing here? Most bars didn't bother hiring underage kids even if they did qualify as a bartender. He felt as if his hand would just snap out and twist the girl's neck. Li kept on clenching his hands into fists to prevent that from happening in the public. He felt that if he didn't do it, he'd actually commit murder in front of the owner of the bar. He was well aware that it was clearly visible and strained to not draw any attention to it. He kept on smiling awkwardly and kept the awkward silence.

"Li, since you just started working, you will start in prepping the fruit slices and the likes." The owner proclaimed loudly, breaking the awkward silence between his two workers. The elder, not to mention rather rude, man had immediately felt something was wrong and his raised his left eyebrow at Xeno. He sent a warning glare that she'd better not let this affect her work performance. "Xeno here will help you out in starting."

"Ah, okay." Hei held onto that awkward smile for his dear life. He couldn't let it slip now. He felt that if he did, he'd never be able to work in such way again. He felt that he'd become a dead corpse or something like such. He did catch Xeno eying the exit and that hint of hesitation in her eyes. He wondered if she was thinking on killing him and escaping through it or simply escape through it. He felt as if she'd try to kill him before escaping. The chill was familiar and he was tempted to drop his gaze and break the girl's neck. He was tempted. Very tempted.

"Come on Li-san, if we waste even one more second, the old man will kill us." Xeno grinned widely although she'd have loved to simply run out that door. She just hoped that it wasn't obvious on her grinning face. She also hoped that Li-san wouldn't find out her real job in this underground bar. Actually, what was he doing here in the first place? The bar wasn't well known or anything and now that Xeno thought about it, Li-san seemed to have jobs that took him everywhere in every time period. She found this to be awkward and another reason for her to start thinking of him as her life threat.

"Alright." Li replied as he followed Xeno down the corridor and into the storage area. From there, Xeno lifted three boxes of citrus fruits while Li picked up ten citrus fruit boxes and ten boxes of other fruits. The awkward silence was evident as they carried it in the hidden area behind the main bar. He saw Xeno open her mouth as if to speak then close with hesitation. He saw her eyes dart around to sneak glances of his reflexions on the bottles of alcohol and metal decorations. As they set the fruits down, Hei purposely brushed his hand on the black ribbon lining of the Xeno's vest and stuck a small black wire on it. He was supposed to have put it on the old man's uniform, however he decided that the girl made a better target. He'd also be able to confirm his suspicion regarding her nature. If he got into a trouble for it, it'd be worth it.

Xeno flinched at the inevitable light touch cause by the cramped space. For the first time, she cursed the designer of the bar for designing such small place at the back of the main bar. She used to like how claustrophobic it was, however that was before Li-san started working in the bar. Now she hated it. Cursed it. Wanted to destroy it with all her being. She paused, it might have been an overreaction to say that she wanted to destroy it. A small nagging part of the brain added on; 'it might also be an overreaction to place such suspicion on Li-san.'

Only the necessary words were exchanged as the two washed and sliced the fruits in an almost mechanical manner. The silence was a torture for Xeno, however provided a precious moment of observation for Hei. Xeno handled the knife well for her age, however there was still that hint of awkwardness in which was natural for her age as well. Even so the precision in which the girl handled the blade was above average and he tensed at the thought of her suddenly turning the blade upon him.

Li continued to slice the fruits in a mechanical manner as he continued on observing the girl. She seemed to have been absorbed or even eaten by the mechanical activity of slicing the fruits into thin slices. She paid such attention that if one didn't know better, one may believe that she was carving out a miniature masterpiece out of the fruits. He marveled in how focused Xeno was and her attention to every small bits of details. He was disturbed by it at the same time, however managed to dismiss such a feeling. He'd believe it once he confirmed it to be true.

Xeno was thankful in how the evening managed to pass on peacefully without her having to speak to the Chinese man. She felt such a disgusting urge to look at his name and observe it. Oh, she could read the basic details about his name, she just needed permission to read more and to change it. Xeno bit her lip at such thought. When the old man came to get her for her other job, she was so delighted that she just about hugged the old man. Just about. If she did, she'd have been killed by the old man.

"Xeno, hurry up and go check the inventory." The man growled at Xeno as she hurried out of the area. Usually she wouldn't dare running in her uniform as it consisted of a typical brown and black bar tenders vest and a skirt that was slightly too short for her taste. It was a skirt short enough to be in trouble near any school and enough to attract perverts from all over the Tokyo.

"I will, I will." Xeno let out a rather sarcastic sigh as she shook her head and walked to the corner of the bar. When she turned the light on, the usual inventory greeted her. The area was small and there were some objects hanging on the back of the door as well. Thus no one would suspect her if she were to close the door for inventory counting.

She leaned her back on one of the fully stocked shelves and begin the customary check. It wasn't likely that someone could put a bug on her, but then, you never know. She first ran her hand through all seams and parts on the shirts before scanning herself with a simple black bar. Nothing came up and with a light sigh, she proceeded to open a small trap door and walk into a rather dark hallway. Right before a stiff corner, she paused her steps. She remembered of Li-san brushing his hand over her vest. She held onto her suspicion and yet decided that it was just paranoia. She ignored the nagging feeling before entering into the small room with three holes in the wall.

She leaned her back against the wall and with a cold tone spoke into the air. "Hello." Her voice was pitiless, a blade. It was a voice that was mechanical. Her face was twisted into an expression of disgust as she spoke so. She hated this voice that she had to use. "If a human did not."

"Divide the colors." Came the usual reply. It was the usual rough voice laced with lack of something great.

"Then the chess pieces." Her voice became colder.

"Wouldn't have to attack each other." The voice completed the saying.

The quote was her favorite. It came from a Korean web comic called Black Behemoth. She loved the web comic and loved the sayings in there. The quote made her think and wanted others to think of the current situation as well. Precisely why it became a code for her.

Li put the small wireless earphone in his left ear and fiddled with the dial on top of the small device. He nearly jumped at the high volume before lessening the static in his ear. His ear hurt from the loud noise and he forced himself to stop himself from ripping the device out of his ear.

"Hello. If a human did not." He heard a light pause in between before it went on. "Then the chess pieces." A light fuzzy static noise told him that there was someone else speaking, however was too soft to be caught on the wire. "Jah, what is it now?" He felt a light chill run down his spine as he heard the empty voice that was all too familiar. The girl sounded exactly like a contractor.

"Hmm? That's interesting." The girl's voice came on after a long pause. "You want to know how to get to the Heaven's gate?" Hei shuddered as he remembered a certain incident relating to the location mentioned. "Sorry. I refuge to say anything of my customer." Now he had an excuse. The girl was tied to his past and to his sister. Yet how so? How did this girl... "Hell's Gate will be different."

"Elaborate." Came a short soft reply. She disliked the voice. It held cold authority and was obviously of someone from a 'legal' side of the world.

"Hell's Gate is too much a human?" She nearly laughed as she spoke. It'd be a riddle to him, however for her, it was just stating a simple fact.

"I do not have time for riddles." The voice replied impatiently.

"The disc that you look for is located in PANDORA." She changed the subject. It'd be too dangerous to continue. "Code follows 11043." With that, she left.

Hei nearly crushed the glass in which he was in the process of drying. 'No, not yet. Li doesn't know of all this. Remember, she doesn't know of me. Remember. Be patient, otherwise she will run away.' His head swarm with voices and his body seemed to want to spring into an action. When the girl came in, he nearly strangled her or broke her arms.

Xeno felt a light shiver, however managed to suppress revealing in feeling such. It was just a feeling. Just a suspicion gone wild. Either way, she had to meet him tonight before any more victims occurred.


	3. Chapter 3

Too many cuss words... "

Disclaimer: I do not own Darker than Black nor any of its canon characters.

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Chapter 3

"Che." Xeno sighed as she managed to stand up. Her stomach still churned with discomfort and it felt extremely and painfully empty. With disgust, she wiped the vomit away from her lips and frowned. Her eyes took a rather careful path to not see the corpses that laid in front of the boy. A boy she had been glad to have found, but was still disgusted with.

The boy had dark skin and pale blonde, almost white, hair. He was approximately 163 cm tall and seemed to be of a middle school student. He was thin and wiry with large almond shaped pale blue eyes. A white strip of skin going across his left cheek and a bit past over his nose marked him special. The boy wore all black, a black hoodie and a pair of black jeans, to hide his figure and distinctively glowing hair. Well, it only seemed as if it was glowing due to the light bouncing off from it.

"I see you after two years and..." Xeno gagged again. The boy stood silent and motionless with an expressionless face. However when it took Xeno more than thirty seconds to recover, a worried face slowly blossomed upon the boy's face. "Shir, you are an idiot..."

Shir was confused. Wasn't the human lives recyclable? It wasn't worth having Xeno throw up over in disgust. He didn't understand. Didn't Xeno look over human lives in the same way he did? He tilted his head in confusion and tried to show the expression, however failed. There were only two things he had managed to express through the physical body and that was an expression of worry and happiness. The expression of worry came naturally as Xeno caused him to worry all the time for her own being. The expression of happiness had been taught to him by Xeno. It was something called a smile and something that didn't come easy to him even now.

Hei fought the urge to look away. He felt uncomfortable in his stomach, but he still didn't look away. The sight was disturbing and he almost regretted having stalking Xeno.

The sight was similar to the crime that had occurred several days ago. However now the criminal was included in the picture.

It was a corpse of a man. The man's face had been neatly cut out and set in a pattern similar to a triangular chess board. The eyes have been left intact and there was no blood dripping from the face although the stench was rather strong. The man's arms had become something similar to powdered meat while his legs looked more like a beef jerky. The dark blue business suit that the man wore along with the black leather shoes on the man's shriveled feet was spotless of blood. Yet the smell... There was a smell of a slaughter house.

It was a copper smell with hint of iron. But it was more disturbing then that. There was something vile about it. Something so dreadfully vile and something so... satisfying to a human blood lust made everything worse. Yes. Satisfying. It was something that made a darkest corner of the human mind wish that they had done such a thing. The empowering smell of human waste accelerated the effect and the acid smell of urine made a fine ornament on it. It was a smell that was beyond death. One could almost see hell's burning stones in the area.

"Shir. Get rid of it. Now." Xeno spoke as if lecturing a child for bringing a dead insect into a house. "It's disturbing to see." And she gagged once more.

Oh, so that was what she was acting up about. Shir thought. The sight disturbs her. "But Xeno, isn't it like a warning?" He asked. His voice was cold but he didn't know what kind of emotion to put it in. Pouting maybe? Or something else? It was usually a pout in the dramas. Should he put that in?

"Alright, alright. Point taken." The voice was full of disgust but it was accepting at the same time. It made Hei shiver. What had he gotten himself into now? If he had simply heard of all this and wasn't present in the scene of it, he'd have scoffed at such talk. He backed up slightly, trying to think of a method to get closer.

"Xeno, I want a chocolate parfait." Not knowing what else to say in the silence, the boy spoke. Out of all the foods he had tasted so far, chocolate had been his favorite. Chocolate parfait just sounded good at the moment. "I also want chocolate cake and smoothie." He didn't know what kind of emotion he should put in his voice, so he just left it blank.

"Fine, fine, come on. I think I can use some chocolate too." Xeno sighed as she motioned Shir to follow her. "By the way, do I need to clear?" She asked. If she had to, it'd be rather troublesome. The boy nodded no and she sighed in relief. Fuck, she still felt sick and felt as if to swoon over. No matter, chocolate will fix it soon enough. Hell, chocolate fixed everything.

Hei blended deeper into the shadow as the two walked by. He narrowed his eyes at both the girl and the boy. They somehow managed to look like siblings. How? They were so different in their looks. Surely none would believe them to be natural siblings. Yet he did. It was ridiculous. This entire affair was just... Wrong. Yes. Wrong. What where they? Just what the hell were they? It was driving him crazy because he knew that they were something they were not. And yet... He couldn't stop perceiving them as what they were not.

Hei took a special care in stalking the two. He wasn't sure what they were nor who they were. All he knew was that they were dangerous and that he was risking quite a bit by stalking them. There was something about them... Something strange that broke his mental composer. Could a contractor's mental composer be troubled?

The cafe had two entrances. One to the back and another of the usual entrance. Xeno frowned lightly at it, however there weren't many cafes open during such a late hour, so she had no choice but to enter. Only in the light did the boy draw back his hood, revealing short and choppy hair. He was absolutely adorable and Xeno had to remind herself who he once was and who he is as of the moment.

Li entered the cafe when he saw that the siblings, he reminded himself that they weren't really siblings, had settled down. He noted that they sat not only close to the door, but at such a location where two exists of the building was easily reachable at a minimum time. He frowned and told himself that it was probably just a coincidence. Hell if it wasn't for his previous trainings and experiences, he wouldn't have noticed such thing.

Hell. If it wasn't for his training, he wouldn't have seen the fain glow upon the girl's skin either. Oh it was almost unnoticeable but he noticed it easily. He hissed. Why the hell did he go after them? Why? Why the hell did he not ignore his questions about Xeno? Why? Well, he had no choice now but to walk up to them. But what was her price? Was the boy a contractor as well?

Xeno sighed. She disliked using her ability like this but there were people around her and she had too many questions to ask. Thus she had no choice. She pouted slightly as she ordered two chocolate parfaits, two triple chocolate cakes, a dark chocolate espresso, cinnamon hot chocolate, and two chocolate and vanilla sundaes. The waitress registered nothing out of norm, she didn't even notice that they ordered all chocolate and sweets, and simply left after taking the order. A light noise of bell sounded, however she ignored it. None would be able to recognize the things that the boy and herself spoke to be out of norm. None. None. None.

Shir flinched lightly but he knew it had to be done. No matter how many times he experienced it, it still made him feel uneasy and rather exposed. He didn't mind though. He welcomed the sensation as it came rarely and it was something that he didn't experience often. It wasn't painful to him, it was just different. He didn't know what made him feel exposed or what the feeling was, but he knew he didn't like it. He frowned. It was just something that the human body told him, not something he knew. He sighed. Humans were too complicated.

"Shir." Xeno had to struggle to recognize the serial killer from the boy's delicate features. "What happened?" She sighed the words out. She was too engrossed in her questions to hear anyone seat behind her.

"Rihs got out?" He answered. Shir saw a black haired man sit behind Xeno. There was something strange about him, but if Xeno didn't care, he didn't care either.

"Rihs...? Oh. That explains a lot of things." Xeno leaned against the plushy chair and sighed. Rihs. The serial killer. The original owner of the body that Shir happened to be using at the moment. Yeah, this was going to be a long story filled with blood.

Xeno expected and prepared as the boy's face slowly became filled with emotions. She saw the chaos of colors of different emotions pass by the pale canvas of a face. She waited with a rather chilling feeling down her stomach and she suddenly wanted her chocolates now.

"Aww. You look pale sweetheart." And in front of her was the man. She flinched and looked around, thinking that someone would notice. She didn't think to look behind for some reason and when she saw the waitresses noticing nothing, she simply relaxed. She then turned to face the man.

He had the same colored hair, it was just longer and shaggier. It reached down to touch his shoulders and caressed his back and seemed to radiate a slightly insane look about him. His eyes were sharper and much more masculine. It held a delicious look of insanity within the pale eyes and Xeno was tempted to reach across and become lost within it. The man was a lot taller than the boy, however he was skinny enough to fit into the child's clothing. Well, his wide shoulders didn't fit, but with his lack of arms, he still fit into it smugly. Well, perhaps not so as the man's perfectly fit biceps showed.

Fuck. She was still a teenager. She was driven sexually due to the changes on her body. Fuck. She wanted to just reach across and touche the perfectly toned muscles on the man's stomach. She wanted to lick it and see how it tasted. Would it taste like chocolate? The skin color suggested such or some taste just as rich as the color. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Damn him.

"What's wrong?" Rihs noticed the stare and decided to smirk at it. He loved this kid. He loved her. He just simply adored teasing her and he simply adored the way her blood tasted. Oh, it was delicate taste. It wasn't sweet at all but something else... Bitter. Definitely bitter. But there was just something else. Something else that made him addicted to it. The only thing that kept him from killing her was simply because he wanted more of her blood. If she died, he'd get none and he was certain that it'd drive him crazy.

"Bastard." Xeno hissed under her breath and Rihs laughed. It was a low pitched laugh. He had a rather purring and seductive low voice and he used it to its full potential as he laughed. It was a seductively creepy laughter that he knew Xeno would hate him for. The look of disgust excited him slightly. How he loved her. She was so expressive. So alive and yet not alive. Anything and everything she wanted herself to be.

Xeno flinched under the seductive sound and squeezed herself to not fall for it. She hated this man. It was a wonder how the man hadn't tried to rape her yet, he'd already tried to kill her, after how he seduced her. Or tried to anyways. Well... He did seduce her. Freak. That freak. She hissed once more as the man smirked. Yes she wanted him. Yes she hated him. It was a wonder how she didn't give up her virginity to the man yet. Yes, a true wonder. The man could seduce just about anyone. And by anyone... Heck, she saw him seduce a woman on the street and convince her to do it right there on the street. She had to try to run away far enough to not hear the sounds. That stupid woman had screamed and moaned so loudly that it was a wonder none on the neighborhood called the police. A wonder how it wasn't heard through the barrier. And the time when he seduced a rather charming and cute young man she had liked for a short while...

"Sweetheart, don't be like that." Rihs laughed charmingly. He knew what kind of effect he was having on her. He knew and he enjoyed it. "You look even more delicious." He grinned. "I wonder if it is the years or if you have gotten softer and less on guard?" He stared at the peeking ruff of black hair behind Xeno. A man. He was certain of that. He also knew that the man was in close proximity of Xeno. Enough for Xeno's impeccable barrier to not affect the man. He frowned. Then smiled.

"Ah, what? You bas..." She flinched upon the look on the man's face and turned around abruptly. Her first thought? Li-san. "Fuck." She hissed.


	4. Chapter 4

Void Eclipse Code: Chapter 4

I give up in trying to write in Hei's point of view. It's too hard for me to keep him IC with my limited experience.

Disclaimer: Darker than Black does not belong to me.

Rihs watched with amusement as he observed how panicky Xeno had become. Her eyes were stretched to its very extent, the pupils shaking and seeming rather small against the whites of her eyes. He could see her lips tremble and frightened moisture form over her skin. From the way the skin color dulled, he guessed that her skin was cold as well.

Her body was rigid and in the form of a frightened animal. Her breathing seemed labored and forced upon her. He smiled as he saw a vein on her wrist pulsing dangerously. Well, it would be incorrect to say that he saw it, rather, he just knew it. She looked so frightened and so delicious in such a manner that he held himself back with all that he had.

The panic in the eyes. He shivered and could no longer...

Shir grabbed Xeno's arm and caused Xeno to flinch and look down at the boy. Shir shivered in the expression Xeno wore and felt himself infected by the coldness of Xeno's skin. The boy wore his best worried expression before coaxing Xeno to sit down. He didn't speak, he didn't feel the need to. When Xeno had finally settled down, he relaxed slightly.

He peeked rather uncomfortably at Xeno. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation. What should he do? What kind of things should he speak? What kind of expression should he wear?

"Here is your order." The waitress displayed the food over the table and promptly and ignorantly butchered Shir's line of thought.

He begin to peck at the cake, it was delicious, only after the waitress had disappeared. Xeno still looked unsettled and he felt unsettled as well. Xeno was the leader, if she was shaken, it must have been something big.

His stomach flipped when Xeno finally moved after staring out in the space for three minutes. It was scary. She had been like a lifeless doll earlier but now... Now she was alive and calm once more.

"Shir, erase all memory in the building." Xeno spoke calmly. "And do it to the point of no Deja bu nor a dream." The boy nodded feverishly in response before getting to do it immediately. He stretched out fragments of himself in the room and proceeded to eliminate the memories.

When he opened his eyes again, Xeno had been patiently waiting. He nodded to her that it was done and only then did she use her own ability. Unlike Xeno, Shir never had that blue glow nor the red light in his eyes. It startled him every time of how these things made Xeno even more unique and beautiful.

"Shir, feel free to eat all of it." Xeno nodded to him as the glow around her faded. Shir couldn't tell what she had done and could only take a guess as a barrier. He nodded obediently and begin to eat.

"Lu, is OWL there?" Xeno spoke into the black phone. As usual she added an accent at O drew out the L, making the code name sounding truly like a true name. Shir was curious but decided not to question it. "Jah, it's me." He saw her face twist into annoyance. He could still see that hint of fear. "Of course it's me." He saw her hands clinch into cold fists. "Damn you. 'Just do your work and you might be spared' doesn't work out for you? Do I have to remind you precisely why you work for me?"

Shir saw Xeno's lips tremble in both anger and panic. Her shock was wearing off and she had a very good control over it to not let it show in her voice. He saw it though. He always saw things that none did.

"Li Shenshung. Give me everything you can find and send it to me using the delivery girl. Once everyday, update until five days time. Understand?" Xeno spoke words that he has yet to understand. He didn't mind. Xeno had told him that he was too young to understand.

Xeno hung up the phone and begin to stare blankly out in the space once more.

"Seven hells..." The black haired man hissed. The man was messy in appearance. He had dark circles underneath his thin eyes and it was obvious he had yet to wash himself in several days. He was somewhat tall at 170cm in height and very skinny. He didn't have any muscles and was composed of skin and bones. The man's skin was pale and caused his dark circles and equally dark brown eyes to stand out.

OWL put the phone down with a trembling hand. He was still wearing what he had worn three days ago, gray t-shirt and baggy jeans, and was planning on refreshing himself that day. Not to mention that the stubbles on his chin was beginning to grow into a full fledged mustach.

"Lu, I think I am going to die." He said to the glowing computer screen. There was a forest of them in the cramped room. Wires invaded everywhere and the screens, there were at least five large ones and ten other sizes with countless small screens, were the only source of light in the room. The computer screen snorted at him before going dark and OWL felt self pity for himself all over again. A thirty years old man feeling pity for himself... He drowned once more in his self pity.

How? How did things come to be this way? Xeno buried herself in the cushions. How? She grabbed another red cushion and threw it upon her buried body. How? She grabbed a black cushion and buried her face in it. HOW?

"Why?" Xeno swallowed another tear. "Why?" She buried her face deeper into the cushion and cried. "Why?" She choked on the answer she couldn't answer. "This is all an amusing game, isn't it? And I am just a mere game piece." She screamed at the dark skin colored man who sat opposite of her. The man held the amused expression and she screamed at him.

"Hey, hey, I am not the one who is watching the game. I'm a piece just like you." Rihs laughed. "Albeit a lesser piece but a game piece nonetheless." He winked at Xeno and caught a flying cushion. It was soggy with tears and he simply threw it down on the ground.

"Shut up. Shut up. What do you know? You don't know anything!" Xeno screamed at him. She knew it to be childish, she knew. But she couldn't help herself.

"So then, do you know? If you do, why don't you tell me?"

Xeno looked up as a shadow covered her. From above, she saw a pair of two eyes. They were yellow and cold as the first time she had seen it. She trembled. She was frightened. It was so obvious that she trembled even more. There was something at her chest preventing her from speaking and there was just that something... Something that prevented and restricted her movement.

"Come on now, aren't you the loyal piece?"

She didn't even feel the hands around her neck until it was too late and she was chocking. The fear was still blocking her throat and she could only gasp out small bits of air at once. Tears spilled from her and she couldn't look away from those frightening eyes. She clawed at his hand instinctively and the blood dropped down her fingernails. The warmth of the living liquid made it even worse and she feared more of the man in front of her. Oh only if he knew. Only if he knew!

She dropped back onto the sofa like a rag doll. She curled up in the corner of the sofa and whimpered. She chocked on the tears flowing into her mouth and didn't care of how horribly she looked at that moment.

Soon Xeno fell into an exhausted sleep. Rihs looked over the fragile girl and thought of how he had become a guardian and an enemy of such a... thing. He relaxed as he too closed his eyes. He instinctively moved his arms onto the arm rests. Only then was he reminded of his missing limbs. Rihs looked up and sighed.

He wasn't a contractor to begin with. He was just forced to become one. He was forced to become the knight and the watch of the entire plot. Oh he still remembered that bitter night. He had been hired to look deeper into PANDORA. That was where he became a contractor and lost both of his arms.

He still remembered how sudden it had been. He was being chased by a masked man. A man he soon knew by the name of 'Black Reaper'. Then he was cornered and in such a hurry to live, he made a contract with the gate. It had been an unfair one, but he was still living, wasn't he? He just lacked arms.

He had somehow made out of the things alive but the masked man had sliced both of his arms off. He didn't hold a grudge for the masked man though. He knew it to be the price for his new ability. But what happened after was worse.

He had been sent to PANDORA for experiments.

Code 1243 was what they had named him. It soon became code 4444 as he slowly lost his mind as a contractor. He was a prisoner and they wanted to see the full extent of his power. His ability. He didn't have a price, but they didn't know about that. They were too busy trying to see what his ability was.

It was simple, really. It was just air molecule control. He could change its shape and properties to form just about anything. He had once been a promising physics and chemistry graduate, so for him it was easy to know and to use to its full extent.

He did well without his arms. Whatever was sent to him, he killed almost immediately. Even the bravest of all military members refused to go into his little cage. The only ones he didn't kill were the ones that would be of benefit to him. However that didn't stop them from doing experiments on his body.

He hissed as the scars on his back throbbed. He had declined Xeno's offer to erase the scars in fear of forgetting exactly what PANDORA did. No matter, they were going to destroy the core and that was that.

To think that such a fragile thing had the capacity to do such a thing...

Now then, onto the dark haired men. There were two in the restaurant although Xeno had noticed only one of them. One was a civilian, he was certain of it, while the other... There was a certain thing about him that made him feel... uneasy? It was familiar as well. Now then, only if he could remember that strong familiarity.

OWL stared at the screen, his eyes wide as it could possibly go, and ran his hand through his greasy hair. He swore as he reached for the print button and hesitated. Was it really a good idea to let her know this? He was a coward, he had to let her know. He slumped in his seat as he pressed the button for print. Every rustling noise the printer made sounded like a gun sound to him and he cringed at it.

Xeno woke up with a strange fatigue inside her brain. She had expected to see the pristine beige ceiling, however found it to be the water stained ceiling of her apartment. She staggered to sit up and when she did, she found a large bowl on top of the kitchen counter. With her sight still unfocused, she made her way towards it and smiled lightly as she found a bunch of dumplings.

Then her throat throbbed.

She collapsed on the ground and trembled. She looked at the door, thinking of how easily that killer could kill her if it pleased him. There was a newspaper on the floor nearby her shoes.

"At 3:00 AM, another grotesque corpse of the latest serial murder victim has been found. The police..."

That's right, that man could kill her whenever he wanted to. Yes, he could kill Xeno.

The knocks on the door startled her and she stepped back away from it. She felt her cells become intense and frightened. Was Rihs standing on the other side of the door? Was he?

"Hello?" She opened the door and peeked out. She held onto the sleepy voice and expression. She sniffled a bit as well, to give it an illusion that she was sick. When she looked up to see who it was... She nearly cussed. "Morning Li-san." She smiled to hide what she was truly thinking.

"Morning Xeno-sa... Xeno." It made her flinch in how Li Shengshun had managed to correct himself and remember the conversation from such a long time ago. Had it really been that long? No, it had been only a couple of weeks. It had felt like months. "I was just worried, with the serial killer and all and your job being late at night..."

Job. Her job. His job. It hit her like a grand finale that was of the most tragic thing in the world. How could she have had forgotten?

"I've been fired." She forced a smile and lied. "Well, for now anyways. Until I get better." She strained another smile.

"Ah, well..." He seemed awkward. "I hope you get better." Another awkward silence passed by until he just nodded good-bye and walked away. She closed the door and slid the chain in after he left.

Her heart throbbed. It hurt. It was so strong in its movement that she thought she'd explode. It hurt. She slid down the door and sat on the cold floor. She allowed a sigh and used her arms to support herself. Her hand nudged something thick and crispy in texture.

A large black box with the perfect triangle with perfect circles on each corners was placed next to her hand. Right. The delivery girl. She had pushed it back in here mind perhaps too far. With a sigh, she picked up the flat rectangular box. With another sigh, she stood up and staggered onto her futon. With another sigh, she unwrapped the box and opened it to find interesting papers. PANDORA papers.

OWL forced out a breath. Whatever that girl decides would be her choice. However right now, he needed a shower. A shower and some food. Anything but the instants. They were completely tasteless by now and it annoyed him in how he had grown accustomed to it.

Shir cuddled a blanket and curled up against the corner of the plush sofa. He was tired. He didn't know what Rihs was planning, but he was tired. The poor child fell asleep immediately. He relaxed in the thing called sleep. It was something that his other self didn't have. He silently whispered sorry before drowning in that sweet thing called sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry, I was kinda stuck on this.

Also The confusion and the choppy parts are **mostly** on purpose.

Trust me.

Disclaimer: Darker than Black does not belong to me.

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Have you ever questioned your self? Of who you may be? Of what you may be? A human being? Something else? Something so foreign that it's familiar?

Xeno laughed quietly as she leafed through the papers. Oh, she had known of this. She should have. Did she?

Humans are helpless creatures. Even with the ability to reason, it is still something that is rather helpless. Why are humans so helpless? It is the self-defense mechanism. In the nature, those who are too powerful are targeted by many others. Even carnivores will collaborate with herbivores if it meant continuation of their existence.

Now, let us look at it in a much more simpler way. Let us say that an existence that is completely and certainly hostile had descended upon us. Everyone knows that it is evil beyond doubt and that it will go around killing everyone soon. There will be doubts, but confidence is a swiping thing. Once there are blood, small sacrifices, people soon begin to ally against them.

It didn't matter of who they were before nor of their location. It didn't matter that they were once enemies. Now they just need help vanquishing that thing. After a long time and devotion to resources, they do.

Then they go back to whatever they were doing before.

Then there is another defense mechanism that explains much of empathy. What is empathy? It's a lack of sympathy towards another. Lack of willingness to understand what the other is going through. Why does this exist? Simple. Every thing we use or consume means less for the other.

Imagine a large pyramid. On the top is you and below are people who worked to produce objects for you. It doesn't matter how poor you are, as long as you are able to purchase items, the pyramid exists. Of course, it may be that the pyramid consists only of machines. But there are sacrifices to those machines. Who made them? Who designed them? Who lost work because of them?

Imagine this pyramid. It continues on and on until we can no longer look at the lament of the things. This is what creates empathy. We stop ourselves from thinking too much. From thinking to the point of rendering us useless. Now think of what will happen if this was to spread in a society?

Ah, but that doesn't effect us just yet. Right at this time, the priority was to gather everyone together. To help the spread of the question faster.

Xeno ripped up the papers. She had no need for him. Yet.

Shir and Rhis. They are the ones who leave grotesque invitations on every corner. Soon there will be victims in other countries. There will be victims across the world. People will shiver in the fear of it. They'd think that perhaps it might happen to them. It'd be the fear that would eventually bind them together. It'd be the invitation to the game of chess.

Ah yes. The game of chess. It is an iconic thing. She herself was the queen and Shir was the king. Rhis was the knight with OWL being the castle. Everything else seemed rather dead. The remaining pieces faced an unknown amount of pieces. The remaining pieces stood upon the corpses.

It was kind of a delicious thought. Having been sacrificed to in order to keep living. It was a form of a reminder that they were above them all.

But the thing was, the game ends the moment the king is taken.

Ah, but Shir was the false king. Xeno had created him. Shir had never been a true king. Shir was just a simple copy.

Xeno laughed a low laugh as the diverse mentality of hers begin to crash upon each other. It swarm in her head in a chaotic dance until it finally transmuted itself into one being. That one being in which was named Xeno. The being in which it was her for now.

It amused her. The various personalities that manifested within her mind. Coy and shy, evil and good, knowing and unknown. All these things that were once her now formed a gray. It wasn't a perfect gray but a changing one. It went from light gray to dark gray until she could not longer tell of its form. She smiled at this, amused upon it. It was interesting to mediate about one's self especially when one was becoming out of focus.

And that was her right now.

She needed to pause and stop. She knew that she was acting out of her character, whatever it may be. She knew of this. Thus she was going to stop.

First, she needed to warn Hei-san of herself. She needed to give him such a warning that she would be able to use him when it came to it. She needed to give him such strong temptation of facts that he would work for her. She needed to do it.

Ah, but she felt so lazy. Perhaps to the point where she didn't want to breath any longer.

"The end." She mumbled softly before smiling. How delightful the word was. How absolutely delicious. It meant nothing more would continue. Nothing would happen next. Everything will be gone and uncertainty will no longer exist. All it would be left would be the view of certainty of non-continuation.

"Nev." She commanded. There was a small disturbance of the air and in front of her was an observation spirit in the shape of a little child. "Tell Vena that I shall be in the need of visiting the Heaven's gate soon." The blue phantom nodded. "Also tell Vena that it may be the right time to awaken." Xeno smirked. Now it was finally time to end this play or begin it. She couldn't tell which and there was a huge grin upon her face. She stood up and gave a mock bow to the observers that were surely present.

_Ladies and gentleman. It is now time to officially begin the acts of this unknown piece._

"It's going to start!"

"It's going to end!"

"Oh my! Oh My!"

"I wonder if it will be a beginning?"

"I wonder if it will be an ending?"

"Silence."

"Vena! You are such a mistress!"

"All the chattering is getting to me."

"But, oh my, oh my!"

"Do be quiet all of you!"

"But, I wonder, I wonder!"

"Oh you are all annoying."

"But you love us!"

"Oh my, my!"

"I wonder why you created us?"

"If you didn't love us?"

"Perhaps I did. I no longer know."

Sigh.

"That is why I am hosting the banquet." Said the female figure shrouded in the mist. "To complete my identity that was lost." The figure laughed. "That was lost when I and my lover created our child."

"Xeno? What's wrong?" Shir looked on innocently.

"It's time Shir." Xeno petted the boy's head.

"Ah."

There was an unknown brilliant star that was found by the observatory team. They could not pin point it, only that it glowed so brilliantly that it was close to being a moon.

"Come now my lady."

"Hm? Where are we going?"

"To a banquet."

"Oh, is it already that time?"

"Shall I pick out a dress?"

"No, I already have one picked out."

"Lord! Please do wake up!"

"It is only five! What do you want you bastard of a butler?"

"The banquet! The banquet! The invitation has arrived!"

"You foul butler! Hurry now! Give me the invitation!"

"Leaving so soon?"

"Ah yes. I was invited to a banquet."

"A banquet?"

"Yes, a gathering."

"A gathering?"

"Sleep now my love. I shall be back before you know it."

"Ho now boy! Where are you going this late?"

"To a banquet."

"And where would someone invite a beggar boy?"

"Oh leave me alone butcher."

"No way! No way!"  
"It's the invitation!"

"Are we going now?"  
"Shall we go now?"

"Let us go!"

"Let us leave!"

"My King, the invitation has arrived."

"It seems that the queen has done a pleasant job."

"My King, are you-"

"Yes. This shall mark not history but of world."

"As you wish sire."

"Let us leave."

* * *

Could this be the official beginning?

Who knows?

;D


End file.
